Frank Report: The United Nations Of Blogs

October 10, 2018

One of the more intriguing aspects of Frank Report’s followers is that they literally come from all over the world. As of 8 pm today, for example, the site had already been visited by people from more than 75 countries.

Since its inception, Frank Report has actually been visited by people from 225 different countries (The United Nation recognizes slightly more than 240 countries and territories). During that same time period, Frank Report has also racked up well over 5 million views.

By the way, 2018 has been the most popular year for Frank Report since we started tracking visitors in December 2005.

From January 1 to October 10, Frank Report has had 4,093,809 page views.

2015: 2,902

2016: 66,432

2017: 1,146,777

2018 [to Oct. 10]: 4, 093,838

Total page views:5,309,831

Although the three most dominant countries are, as would be expected, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, there are also a significant number of followers in other countries. The next top twenty-five after the Big Three are as follows:
• United Kingdom
• France
• Germany
• Australia
• Brazil
• Spain
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• New Zealand
• Portugal
• Sweden
• Italy
• South Africa
• Colombia
• India
• Ireland
• Guatemala
• Singapore
• Philippines
• Israel
• Russia
• Norway
• Austria
• Hungary

And right after Hungary is none other than Fiji. Hmm…I wonder what’s going on in Fiji that has caused so many people there to visit Frank Report so often?

I share this information so that readers of Frank Report can have a better appreciation of who else is reading what they’re reading – and so that those who choose to comment on certain posts can better understand why I decided to start deleting any comments that are mean-spirited, obnoxious, or just totally off the topic of the post.

Hopefully, my deletion of those types of comments will be enough to keep the blog a place where people can openly share ideas and information without worrying that they’re going to be attacked for their opinions or subjected to a rant by someone who wants to use this space as a dumping ground for the toxic waste that runs around inside their head. If not, there’s always the “BLOCK” button – which I truly hope will not be necessary.

When I started the blog, I had no idea that it would grow to what it’s become. Nor it did ever occur to me that people from so many countries would be visiting the blog on a regular basis.

My sense is that the blog’s focus on NXIVM-related topics both helps and hurts its ability to attract visitors.

On the one hand, if you want to know what’s going on these days with NXIVM, Frank Report is a good place to go to find out.

On the other hand, at least at present, if you don’t have any interest in NXIVM, there’s probably little reason to visit the site.

In any event, Frank Report will continue reporting on items of interest to its readers. Which brings me to the question I was thinking about when I started writing this post: What are some of the other NXIVM-related topics that you, the readers, would like to see covered on this post?

I can’t promise I’ll be able to write about every topic suggested but I’ll at least take a look at every suggestion.

By my calculations, it will be at least 6 months – perhaps as long as 12 months – before Keith Raniere and his co-defendants go to trial. Between now and then, I plan to continue exposing everything I can about this wretched group of people and their brutal and inhumane treatment of others.

Thanks for reading Frank Report – and thanks even more to those who take the time to post thoughtful and provocative comments.

About the author

Frank Parlato

Frank Report’s founder and lead writer Frank Parlato is one of the internet’s most acclaimed investigative journalists. His writing and investigations have helped expose major criminal organizations and scandals.

Frank’s work has been cited in major publications all over the world, including The New York Times, New York Post, The Daily Mail, VICE News, CNN, Rolling Stone, and more.

He is also the publisher and editor-in-chief of Artvoice, The Niagara Falls Reporter, Front Page and the South Buffalo News.

64 Comments

There are far, far more positive experiences than negative in NXIVM. It’s just that we live in a world that elevates victimhood above rational conversation.

It is one thing to be a victim in that I am the recipient of a bad action (EG someone forces my backpack out of my hands at knifepoint and runs away.)

It is another thing to “scream victim” and blame the world for my own decisions (EG, in reality ultimately in that choice point I value my life over whatever is in the backpack. I didn’t leave the house and want to be mugged – there is no causal relationship in the story leading up to my mugging.)

Victimhood upholds the idea that a blame fantasy (in other words, I accuse you of being responsible for what was my own choice point) is a substitute for cause and effect. Raniere wrote, “There are no ultimate victims” and goes on to say why. This is what he means by “ultimate victims” – not the person that absorbs a crime, which is the definition of victim, but an ultimate victim, someone who exchanges (and markets) blame for responsibility.

What is going on in the case of NXIVM is a giant trial by media where no evidence of the innocence of the accused parties is allowed, while the prosecution drains the resources of the accused and actively targets them for violence (evidence of this kind is being actively gathered and will likely be presented against the United States, the prosecution, the FBI, and bad actors operating on behalf of Bouchey/Edmonson/Vicente who are materially contributing through effort or money exchange to cut down the defendants and their supporters.)

Thanks for the blog, and thanks for asking, Frank.
Everything I’ve read about this cult has been negative. But mostly I don’t understand why anybody would be drawn to Albany, NY of all places, to pay more money than they can afford to take these…courses (the content of which seems crazy to me). If anybody who has now left the cult can answer that, I’d appreciate it. And if the answer is brainwashing, maybe somebody whose experienced that could describe it as well.

I have had tremendous personal joy and success from NXIVM. Thousands of people have. It’s just that those stories aren’t terribly interesting. Nobody is interested in a person that spent $25,000 on personal trainings over a period of some years, worked through psychological struggles that they didn’t even know they had, became far smarter and aware of themselves and the world, grew to love them selves and their families in a deeper way, and was able to understand the human dynamic and easily navigate the business world, growing several side businesses and building a management capability in their career that tripled their income in 12 years.

Nobody believes those stories. They don’t believe that Keith Raniere invented a technology that turns traditional psychology upside-down. Do you have any idea of the forces in the world that stand to lose if everybody tried this new model? So, it is trashed in the print media with the hope that it goes away. And they are winning, and those of us who know the truth are being silenced by physical, emotional, and financial attacks, many of which are legal but immoral.

“What are some of the other NXIVM-related topics that you, the readers, would like to see covered on this post?” Like Linseed commented, I would like to read more in-depth ‘back-stories’. I want to read more about Keith’s youth, school life/college days, early family and life. The psychology of what leads a person to become like this is intriguing to me. The back stories on others would be interesting as well. You, perhaps, may also consider having experts on various, but related NXIUM, topics chime in. It would be interesting to hear from lawyers, law enforcement, psychiatrists, etc. on their thoughts/predictions on all this. Just my two cents. Thanks for blogging, Frank. I enjoy reading it.

Use the search box at the top of the page. type in a word, then click the search button to the right of it. OR,
I suggest to my friends who just started reading Frank report to go all the way back to the very first article
which I think is november 2015 and then read forward. This gives you a feel for how things fell into place
and you would be reading in the correct order.
happy trails !

I am interested in the same things. Unfortunately, the available verifiable data is sparse. Recently there was an article quoting some of KAR’s schoolmates from elementary school (you can find it on this website). That did shed some light.

Unless someone from the past really starts to talk, I doubt much more will be known. We have rumors and speculation- KAR’s mother had a drinking problem, and/or was abusive, emotionally or sexually; he was an only child, a product of a broken home. He was a born narcissist. Undoubtably, his childhood or genetics played into all this but little can be confirmed. He is similar to Jim Jones. The best hope is that someone writes a thorough, in depth book based on research and interviews with people who thus far have been afraid to speak.

Its difficult to imagine anyone from the past really starting to talk on this blog, given the treatment meted out to Joe O’Hara, Toni Nathalie and Heidi Hutchinson. I’ve been coming here for years now, but find it very uncomfortable these days. It looks overrun by hypocrites with no skin in the game, who seem only interested in attacking those affected by NXIVm, so mean spirited, and in the case of TN and HH I think its envy. God only knows why, but there it is. There are women on this board who appear to hate on them for the very thing they claim to want – inside information! For Shame.

Scott are you too chicken to let those who won’t support your radio show know how you’d answer the above questions? Isn’t your quest to educate people why Amway is a similar scam as NXIVM.

Enlighten us old wise one or are you too embarrassed to have an intelligent exchange where others can do some research and chime in?

Some men have sex with some people in the paid industry, doesn’t mean they go on to do the evil deeds Keith Raniere did. Some people have smoke pot, but doesn’t mean they go on to be a drug trafficker. Your comparing Keith Raniere with having his start in Amway was the gateway for his illegal enterprise.

Sorry dude, I’m not buying it or your sad sobbing story of “The Scam”.

I personally don’t see your constant whining about your inability to build an Amway business a benefit to anyone coming to a mainly NXIVM blog. The two don’t even compare.

I won’t waste my time listening or speaking on your Amway radio show either. It’s not that I’n fearful to speak out, it’s just that your attempts at shutting down a 8 billion dollar business is a total waste of time.

Crowd, can you explain why YOU are so worked up over Scott? Has he personally insulted you in some way?
If so, what did you find so insulting (in case you didn’t know, Scott seems to use the words STUPID and LIBTARD very often), so surely he has insulted quite a number of posters.

Personally, I dont know why you want to learn more about Scott. What do you think he is, an FBI agent? LMAO!

I’m not worked up, I’m just exposing Scott for who he is by asking simple questions about what he is constantly whining about.
Scott’s a bully and I dont like bullies and blowhards who are crybabies. Scott tries to compare NXIVM to Amway and it’s like apple and cottage cheese. Not even in the same food group.
My questions are simple for him to answer bit he is the crowd who doesn’t want to be exposed. That is why he refused to debate factual information. That is what intellectuals do. Scott hides behind his website and radio show which I won’t support.
He airs his laundry here so let’s take a look, here.

Hey Scottie Boy,
I did some research, asked you some questions and you refused to answer them. Instead you want me to support your radio show and be another click on your website. Ain’t gonna do it dude.

Your the one on Frank’s blog blubbering about Amway. I did some research and found that what your whinny about isn’t factual and your just a failure of business building in the MLM industry. Your attempting to ride on the coat tails of Frank’s work by scamming his followers to support your own crap.

I’ve asked questions but yet you say I want to stay stupid. Well stupid is what stupid does and your attempt the BS Frank’s readers is what stupid people do.

Your the coward for not answering simple questions that are being asked of those in NXIVM like Kristen K and others who jumped ship.

Frank, that’s an amazing increase in the number of page visits. I know that you occasionally posted the stats for page views before, and that the stats showed that views had spiked last year right after the branding story was published. But these stats show that page views have increased almost 4 times this year over last year. That’s huge. Did the number of visits spike again after Keith’s arrest?

I bet the number of comments has increased as well. Do you have stats available on that?

It only shows in this era of darkness and injustice that lies prevail over truth. Liar is writing a blog that millions are deceived and the only true man of ethics is imprisoned. Woe to this disintegrated land of demons the United States of America. #freeourVanguardnow!

You have never answered my questions. Amway is legal and doesn’t appear to be a cult, doing sex trafficking, illegal immigration, money laundering, slave branding company. You believe it’s a scam but the United States Government does not see Amway as a scam. Have they had legal issues, yes but they have not been shut down nor are people leaving saying they were brainwashed by “an inner circle” of cult leaders.

Since you were never in NXIVM, you can never know what people truly went through but you continue to make comparisons that you have not shown is true or factual. You continue to pick on people with your comments which show you have some psychological issues that you have not dealt with. You call people who won’t post their names cowards. You have no idea how afraid people are being truly visible on the Frank Report and you add to the abuse already experienced by your behavior.

It might be time to read How to win friends and influence people and take some anger management classes.

The major issue seems to be, in my opinion, is your angry that you were not successful in Amway. There has got to be enough who are successful or Amway would not have lasted as long as it has. Enough people had success with this company to keep this MLM going, (which is not illegal in many countries).

I did some research on Amway since I didn’t know much about it other than being asked to join (who hasn’t) in the 80’s. Amway started in 1957 and today it is a strong company worldwide. Amway and its sister companies under Alticor reported sales of $8.6 billion in 2017. Amway conducts business through a number of affiliated companies in more than a hundred countries and territories. Amway was ranked No. 29 among the largest privately held companies in the United States by Forbes in 2015 based on revenue, and No. 1 among multi-level marketing companies by Direct Selling News in 2016.

The Federal Trade Commission found that Amway did not fit the definition of a pyramid scheme (which you call a scam) because (a) distributors were not paid to recruit people, (b) it did not require distributors to buy a large stock of unmoving inventory, (c) distributors were required to maintain retail sales (at least 10 per month), and (d) the company and all distributors were required to accept returns of excess inventory from down-level distributors.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission requires Amway to label its products with the message that 54% of Amway recruits make nothing and the rest earn on average $65 a month.

So my question is why did you get involved knowing that Amway has a 54% chance of you making nothing and that on a average people only make 65.00 a month? What were you thinking? Were you gaga over what I’ve heard as the “Walk away residual income”? Something made you think you could be someone who would beat the odds and become a successful Amway business person. Which was not your case, you failed and now your angry and taking it out on posters on The Frank Report.

Has Amway had legal issues, yes

On November 3, 2010, Amway announced that it had agreed to pay $56 million – $34 million in cash and $22 million in products – to settle a class action that had been filed in Federal District Court in California in 2007. The class action, which had been brought against Quixtar and several of its top-level distributors, alleged fraud, racketeering, and that the defendants operated as an illegal pyramid scheme. However, Amway was not shut down or found guilty as a company, they agreed to settle.

While noting that the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing or liability, Amway acknowledged that it made changes to its business operations as a result of the lawsuit. The settlement is subject to approval by the court, which was expected in early 2011. The economic value of the settlement, including the changes Amway made to its business model, totals $100 million. Again Amway did not shut it’s doors over this.

So why are you so mean? What do you get out of beating up posters on the Frank Report? Do you think this is a grown up way to behave? Maybe your behavior is causing you to not be taken seriously as a driving force with a true cause. It seems like you just want to bully people and make yourself seem more important than you really are at educating people about why you think MLM’s are dangerous.

Am I coward because I don’t share my “real name” while calling you out on your immature behavior? NOPE

I’ve done more to take down NXIVM house of cards than you will ever know. Since I need to protect myself until these crazy people are all behind bars, I will remain nameless. Call me what you want, be a bully and display your anger. Your word bounce off me like water to a duck.

I’m not going to take the time to respond to your questions here, but I will cover them on my radio show this week. Rest assured there are many errors and misleading statements you made. You are invited to join me on the show, and I don’t need to know your name, but I know you’re still probably too scared.

So Scotty what are the many error and misleading statements I made. I’m willing to stand corrected but your just pointing out what you believe is a false with nothing to back it up it kind of what you do. It appears like your all hot air.

You say I need to come to your radio show to get answers. I’m calling you out here on the Frank Report since you so often post your hot air.

Be a man Scott and give us all some facts that can be debated. Your the one out here blowing in the wind. Who is being the coward? Put your information where your mouth off for us Ex-NXIVM. Why should we have to support your radio show?

Seems to me that you are piggybacking on Mr. Parlato’s website to promote your radio show. Personally, I hear enough from you on frankreport as it is. Why would I want to hear more from you on the radio?

Frank, my suggestion is aligned with the first time we talked on the phone (you said your work in NXIVM was essentially over, you were looking for a new challenge, and thought that Amway and other MLM scams could be the next worthy project) and what I talked about on my radio show for several weeks until you had a chance to call in (Frank has a large and growing audience, and a much greater impact on educating others about MLM scams was worth the wait for him to join us on the radio show), as well as I discussed in my “Why I’m here” thread you asked me to submit (https://frankreport.com/2018/07/29/scott-johnson-explains-why-im-here):

1. Raniere was obviously trained by Amway early in his MLM scamming “career” on how to scam others, and covering the similarities between numerous issues he was doing with NXIVM and how that can be traced all of the way back to his days in Amway should be covered, and I’m willing to help with that effort from the Amway perspective;

2. Once these similarities are firmly established, your wide readship will help educate others that Amway and most MLMs are scams that should be shut down, and when enough people are aware of these scams, they will collapse; and

3. As you stated to me this spring, NXIVM is essentially over from the perspective that there is not much we can do about influencing the outcome, as NXIVM is now largely in the FBI/DOJ’s hands. NXIVM negatively impacted the lives of relatively few and relatively wealthy people compared to MLM scams, and a much greater contribution to society could result from branching out and educating people about MLM scams.

Scott, obviously things have changed. Nxivm continues to grow as more information, more arrests have happened , more are coming . The ongoing interest in defendants and the overwhelming number of attorneys and of course the Mexican and Canadian connections. You have posted your opinion too many times. Your losing interest by your own behavior and name calling. You do not attract people to the Amway scam which by the way I agree with. I don’t know enough to help your cause though just what happened with my brother years ago.
I doubt Frank was expecting the increased interest , assuming the arrest of vanguard was the beginning of the end.
I’m one that’s been following since the arrests. And I am trying to help you hear by telling you if you change your methods you may get the response you are hoping for. Otherwise it may be time for you to find a new forum.

Personally, I’d like to see more of a backstory published on Allison Mack. Who did she date? Who/what got her into show business? Along with Nicki Clyde, Edmondson, et al. Let’s do some reporting on that!

Wilma:
Anyone can look up her social media accounts.
And I have never had any personal communications with her.

And in case you’re wondering a woman who would torture and enslave other women so as to enhance her power has no value to anyone.
No one in the media will hire her.
No man wants to marry a woman who derives pleasure out of hurting other people.
In fact I have not heard of Allison Mack since “Smallville” went off the air in 2011.

Ms. Mack fashions herself as a heroic character.
A Joan of Arc or Scout Finch from “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
In truth Ms. Mack resembles the literary character of Doctor Faust, a man dissatisfied with life who makes a deal with the Devil.
In Ms. Mack’s case she made a deal with three Devils.
Keith Raniere
Clare Bronfman and
Sara Bronfman.

Because of the rise of the internet and social media as well as the creation of global mass media empires and celebrity culture, NXIVM has become a story of Global interest.
Combine all of that with the current interest in #me too and NXIVM becomes very timely.
In this modern age a story about branding and enslaving women is shocking.
Going through the major social media sites one finds many comments in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, German, Vietnamese and numerous other languages.
And the condemnation of NXIVM and the main perpetrators is almost universal with many people outraged and using the Bible to condemn NXIVM and its adherents as evil and Satanic.

I don’t tell Frank how to run his website.
He’s done an effective job so far.
That said in all the crimes of NXIVM the MLM aspect is relatively minor.
If MLM were such a big deal in America President Trump would not have made Betsy Amway DeVos Secretary of Education.

I didn’t tell Frank how to run his website, Captain Obvious. I noted that you didn’t answer the question Frank asked. In fact, I’ve told him personally to run his website as he sees fit on the phone. You just made my point, MLM SHOULD be a bigger deal in America. If you’ve never been in Amway, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Trump brought in Betsy more for her family’s money, political involvement, and education position than because of her marrying into the Amway DeVos family.